JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 10, 2021

Cameron Champ

TPC Deere Run

Quick Quotes

Q. (No Microphone.)

CAMERON CHAMP: Obviously one of our purposes is to win, to win golf tournaments, to be the best as we possibly can, but for me, coming to the realization of a lot of things, I have many other purposes I want to achieve. For me it's not all about golf. Obviously as a kid and coming out here trying to get on tour it had to be because that was my situation and I had no other choice. But now that I'm out here and I got married, I'm maturing in levels, I'm starting to kind of figure out myself and what works for me. So obviously I'm going to put a hundred percent effort into this game, I love it, it's given me so much. But also I have my family, I have other things that mean more to me than this game. So for me it's just kind of balancing that and figuring that out and how I can manage both of those to have my ultimate success, and like I said last week, it's, I talked to my wife, I talked with my coach, and just try to have a more open-minded process and enjoy the game more, not be so hard on myself and as long as I put the work in, then results will come.

Q. (No Microphone.)

CAMERON CHAMP: No, of course, even my foundation, you know, where I grew up and what we're trying to do back home for the kids. I was given so much as a kid, to get me out here, and I'm going to do the same thing. It's my father's passion, it's my passion, and obviously as I keep growing out here and keep building as a player I'm going to be able to do even more things than I am now. So again, yes, that is one of my purposes as well. So but again it's managing all those expectations and figuring outweighs to balance it once you get on the first tee. Everybody's different, everybody adjusts to things differently, everybody thinks differently, everybody's life situations are different and how they affect them. So for me it's been a learning process, but I think I'm finally starting to grasp it some and come out the other way.

Q. (No Microphone.)

CAMERON CHAMP: Based off the weather forecast, it's not looking too good and it's going to be windy, which I love, so again it might be an all-day type deal, depending upon the thunder storms and how things go, but again, who knows how the weather's going to play, but if it's like today the course is definitely scorable, obviously it changed once it started raining, it got super soft, it played longer, the greens were super receptive and spinning, you had to really control shots. So if it's like today you could definitely be a little more aggressive, but again I think it's just whoever doesn't make the big mistakes out here.

Q. (No Microphone.)

CAMERON CHAMP: That's just how it is here. That's how it can be and again tomorrow can change dramatically. There could be a bunch and you can get a couple guys to separate themselves tomorrow, depending upon the weather and again that definitely flip-flops. So again I'm just going to play like I did today, I played amazing, I hung in there those last seven, eight holes and just going to try to do the same thing tomorrow.

Q. You talked about the course conditions out there. Having a clean card today. How satisfying is that in these conditions?

CAMERON CHAMP: No, it's huge. Like you said, I got off to a great start, obviously I would want to keep that momentum going, but I hit a few squirrely shots and I made some great pars and great putts. So for a Saturday in kind of getting me up there close within a few shots, obviously there's guys finishing, it could be, I could have, I could be done one, two, three, who knows, but at least I'm within reach. So that was my main goal and like I said I'm just super happy with again how I hung on and just kind of fought the last seven, eight holes.

Q. (No Microphone.)

CAMERON CHAMP: I think more. It just, it keeps your round going, it kind of keeps the momentum going and for me like on 15 I just, I got quick with that wedge and barely caught it thin, and it landed on the back and went over and those are one of those where you make a bogey from there, that's just brutal. But again, hit a great chip up there, made par and those are the ones that keep the round going, keep the momentum going, just to keep pushing.

Q. (No Microphone.)

CAMERON CHAMP: It's been hard. Not been easy. Again, it's not so much my game it's more me and my personal growth, I think. Because I'll go home and I'll play perfectly fine. So I know it's not, it's -- it's more in depth and what a lot of guys are starting to talk about now, your personal health. Again, everybody reacts differently to things, certain things affect certain people differently, and for me I had to figure it out, I had to learn it. It's not -- when I played well, I played well. Just like this week. I'm free minded, I'm just playing, I'm enjoying the game. But it's kind of always when certain things on the outside affect you, that can affect your game. I think I've finally grasped it some and starting to understand it and kind of just being able to free my mind.

Q. (No Microphone.)

CAMERON CHAMP: Yeah, but again I've been doing it my whole life and I would say it's more new in the aspects of I have responsibilities now, I have a lot of them, I have a team, I have this, it's just, it's -- it's just managing it. It's managing it and doing it in a way that doesn't affect you out here, if that makes any sense. This week I took a different perspective on the week and kind of my mindset and how I came into it and it's working and it worked last week when I was home and I'm just going to keep doing it.

Q. What was that? Coming in without any expectations whatsoever or what was it?

CAMERON CHAMP: I mean obviously my expectations, I knew top-5 and ties get on to the British and that was my goal. But again that's not what I'm thinking about, it's just more getting more of my own mental health and begin how I'm going to approach the game in order for me to enjoy it. Because I haven't been enjoying it, I haven't been having fun, I've been brutal on myself and I got to a point where I had to say, okay, I got to stop, this has to change, I can't be doing this anymore. So I've kind of done a flip-flop, a 180 and no matter how I play, this is who I am on and off the course and this is especially how I am off the course. So I don't want to come out here and act a certain way or be a certain way when that's not how I would react off the course.